Departmental Expenditure

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many widescreen televisions have been purchased by her Department for use in London Headquarters in each of the last five years; and what the cost was in each year.

Jim Knight: The following table summarises the Department's rounded expenditure on wide screen televisions across the London Headquarters estate since the beginning of the financial year 2001–02.
	
		
			  Quantity Cost (£) 
		
		
			 2001–02 — — 
			 2002–03 — — 
			 2003–04 1 1,400 
			 2004–05 7 10,900 
			 2005–06 15 22,520

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to Question 31449, on the EU sugar regime, tabled by the hon. Member for Hendon on 21 November 2005.

Jim Knight: I replied to the hon. Member on 20 December 2005.

Pakistan (Earthquake)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what shelters the UK Government is providing for the people of Pakistan following the earthquake there; and what assessment it has made of the adequacy of such shelters for winter temperatures and conditions in the affected region.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 9 January 2006
	As a part of DFID's overall response to the Pakistan earthquake, we have provided in-kind assistance in the form of 5,500 winterised tents, as well as plastic sheeting, blankets and ropes which are an integral part of the International Organisation for Migration's (IOM) tent winterisation package. In addition, we are providing financial support as well as staff secondments to the IOM, the lead international agency managing shelter issues, as well as financial support to six non governmental organisations that are implementing shelter programmes. This support is helping relocated North West Frontier and Kashmir populations in camps at lower altitude as well as those villagers living in remote locations above 5,000 feet. It has enabled the construction of temporary "warm rooms" made of galvanised iron sheets to assist those affected by the earthquake to survive the Himalayan winter.
	DFID has been working actively with a range of donor partners, the Government of Pakistan, as well as beneficiaries, to gauge the appropriateness of the shelter assistance provided. When it became clear that a high proportion of the shelters distributed (excluding the DFID-provided tents) was not winterised, DFID provided an additional £2,000,000 of in-kind assistance to support the activities of the responding international community. We are currently discussing whether additional financial or in-kind support is required. DFID support through the financing of transport aircraft provided by NATO and in-country helicopter operations includes the delivery of shelter materials for the UN and humanitarian agencies.
	The tents provided by DFID are fully certified winterised tents with provision for heating by stove. We are content that the additional in-kind support is of appropriate quality and meets UN and/or International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) standards.

Departmental Expenditure

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate his Department has made of public expenditure on housing in (a) the public and (b) the private sector in the last five years for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The amounts of public expenditure allocated to housing in the public and private sectors over the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			£ million 
			  Public sector funding Private sector funding Total 
		
		
			 2000–01 318.748 42.133 360.881 
			 2001–02 330.453 43.104 373.557 
			 2002–03 387.555 43.000 430.555 
			 2003–04 421.196 42.119 463.315 
			 2004–05 408.853 45.742 454.595

Ministerial Car Fleet

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the cost of (a) ministerial cars and (b) drivers in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office cannot provide the information requested by the hon. Gentleman as we cannot identify separate costs for Ministers' cars and drivers.
	All Ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	In respect of Ministerial cars provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA); my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office (Jim Murphy) has asked Roy Burke, Chief Executive of the GCDA, to write to the hon. Member with details of the costs of Ministerial vehicles provided to Departments in 2004–05. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library.
	For information for the financial years 2000–01 to 2003–04 I refer the hon. Member to the letters from the Chief Executive of the GCDA to the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) dated 10 January 2005 and to the then hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Howard Flight) dated 13 September 2003. Copies of these letters are available in the Library.

Sickness Absence

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to public funds of absence from work in the Province in the last five years;
	(2)  what estimate he made of the cost to public funds of absence from work in the Province due to work-related illness in the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available. However the hon. Lady may wish to refer to the workplace health strategy for Northern Ireland, "Working for Health', published by the Health and Safety Executive in 2003. This estimated Northern Ireland's whole economy bill for work-related ill health at some £330 million per year. A copy of this document will be placed in the Library.

Regional GDP

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government are taking to decrease disparities in regional gross domestic product and gross value added per capita; and which Minister is in charge of those steps.

Des Browne: The Government are committed to a public service agreement (PSA) target to: "make sustainable improvements in the economic performance of all English regions by 2008, and over the long-term reduce the persistent gap in growth rates between the regions." The Deputy Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry are jointly responsible for this target. The Government are working with the devolved administrations to promote economic growth, full employment and prosperity for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2005, Official Report, column 759W, on automatic number plate recognition, how long information collected by the police will be held as a record on police computer databases before deletion in (a) the pilot programme and (b) the proposed national scheme.

Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
	Pursuant to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington on 11 July 2005, Official Report, column 759W, my officials have been working closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to ensure that information collected by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technologies and retained by the Police is cognisant of the relevant data protection legislation. The specific ACPO guidance states:
	"a period of two years in a 'live, searchable system' incorporating 'a controlled access environment' after 90 days. This period of retention is to facilitate the searching of that data on a case-by-case basis, should a crime committed during the deployment come to light during that two-year period. It would be expected that after the initial 90 days period, the data will be 'partitioned' for the rest of its retention period. In the period of 91 days to two years, the data will only be accessed for a justified policing need. Access to this data will be 'controlled and documented' to ensure its compliance with the proportionality, justification and use. In exceptional circumstances there may be operational grounds to justify retention of ANPR data beyond the two-year period. Should this occur a record of the grounds should be retained".
	This document covers the European Convention for Human Rights. Data Protection, the Regulatory Investigative Powers Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 relating to the Police use of ANPR (excluding speed enforcement devices) and is applicable to all police forces in England and Wales.

Bridges

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to date of strengthening bridges to accommodate 44 tonne lorries;
	(2)  what percentage of the costs of strengthening bridges to accommodate 44 tonne lorries has been borne by (a) the Highways Agency, (b) local authorities, (c) Network Rail, (d) Railtrack, (e) British Rail and (f) other organisations.

Stephen Ladyman: Since 1 January 1999 the United Kingdom has been required to implement EU Directive 89/460/EC, which allows the use of road vehicles with 11.5 tonne axle loads and plated vehicle weights of 40 tonnes. These vehicles are more demanding in loading terms than a 44 tonne vehicle on six axles. The Directive applies to "principal routes" used in international traffic, and in the UK these have been assumed to be motorways, all purpose trunk roads and the primary route network.
	Under The Railway Bridges (Load Bearing Standards) Regulations (England and Wales) Order 1972 (SI 1705/1972) bridges carrying highways over railways are required to take a 24 tonne rigid lorry or a 32 tonne articulated lorry. So any strengthening to take 40 tonne (or 44 tonne) lorries is the sole responsibility of the relevant highway authority.
	When the Directive came into force, all bridges on the motorway and trunk road network were able to accommodate 40 tonne vehicles. In the six years from 2001–02 to 2006–07 £205 million has been provided to strengthen bridges on the local authority primary route network to take 40 tonne lorries. In the same period £703 million has been provided to strengthen local authority bridges not on the primary route network, but not all of these bridges are required to take the 40 tonne loading.

Far Eastern Civiliam Prisoners of War Compensation Scheme

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ensure that the review of the far eastern civilian prisoners of war compensation scheme announced on 12 December considers whether the bloodlink criterion amounts to racial discrimination.

Don Touhig: The "birthlink" criterion is used to determine eligibility for the civilian element of the ex-gratia payment scheme for former far east prisoners of war and civilian internees; it is based on the place of birth (in the UK) of the individual or one of his or her parents or grandparents and not on a specific racial or "bloodlink" criterion. The question of whether use of this criterion resulted in racial discrimination is currently the subject of appeals by both the Secretary of State and the claimant (Mrs. D Elias) against a High Court decision on a case brought by a former civilian internee. The outcome of the legal proceedings will determine whether use of the criterion amounts to racial discrimination. The review that I outlined in my statement on 12 December 2005, Official Report, column 1119, will examine whether consistent eligibility criteria were used to determine eligibility for civilian internees; it will not address whether the scheme was discriminatory. The Department has accepted, however, that it should have reviewed the operation of the scheme under the terms of section 71 (1) of the Race Relations Act 1976; we are currently considering the appropriate timescale for undertaking this review but do not consider that it could sensibly be completed until the legal proceedings referred to above have been completed.

Helicopters

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Merlin, (b) Lynx and (c) Sea King helicopters operated by the Royal Navy are held in attrition reserve; and for what reasons they are held.

Adam Ingram: Attrition reserve aircraft are held to allow the required fleet size to be maintained throughout the service-life of the platform. This policy is designed to avoid the prohibitive costs that would be incurred if orders for single aircraft were to be made after the main production run was complete. Once a platform enters Service, fleet sizes may be changed and thus the numbers of aircraft classified as "attrition reserve" may also change.
	There are currently five Merlin, one Sea King and no Lynx helicopters held in attrition reserve. In addition to the one Sea King representing attrition reserve, there are 34 aircraft in storage which are provisionally allotted for disposal. Until the disposal point is reached these are also available for recovery if required.

RAF Aircraft

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the original cost was of the (a) Nimrod MRA4, (b) Eurofighter Typhoon and (c) Joint Strike Fighter; and what the current estimated cost is in each case.

Adam Ingram: The original cost and the current estimated cost (MPR 2005) are:
	
		
			   £ billion 
			  Original cost Current estimated cost 
		
		
			 Nimrod MRA4 2.8 3.8 
			 Eurofighter Typhoon 16.7 — 
			 Joint Strike Fighter (demonstration phase only) 2.2 1.9 
		
	
	The current estimated cost of Typhoon is not included as it is commercially sensitive.

UN Convention Against Torture

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what definition the Government use of (a) mental and (b) physical severe pain or suffering as set out in Article 1 of the UN Convention Against Torture.

Jack Straw: The international community, including the UK, has resisted formal definition of what constitutes severe physical or mental pain or suffering, as used in the UN Convention Against Torture's definition of torture. Whether any particular treatment would cause an individual severe mental or physical pain or suffering depends on the specific circumstances of a case. A definition could not be exhaustive, leaving the possibility for argument that some types of clearly torturous behaviour were not in fact forbidden as torture. Section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 provides that a public official commits torture if he intentionally inflicts severe pain or suffering on another in the performance of his duties, and does not define "severe pain or suffering".
	As the UN Human Rights Committee noted in 1992, with regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: "The Covenant does not contain any definition of the concepts covered by article 7 [prohibiting torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment], nor does the Committee consider it necessary to draw up a list of prohibited acts to establish sharp distinctions between different kinds of punishment or treatment; the distinctions depend on the nature, purpose and severity of the treatment applied."

People Trafficking

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to provide funding for the POPPY project beyond March; and whether his Department is planning to expand support and rehabilitation provision for the victims of trafficking.

Paul Goggins: Home Office funding for the POPPY scheme since March 2003 stands at around £1.5 million. The grant funding agreement with Eaves Housing for Women, the current service provider, was due to end in September 2005 but was extended to the end of March this year to enable completion of work on the formal evaluation of the scheme and consideration of the evaluation findings, we propose to increase the geographical coverage of support services for victims and introduce support at varying levels of intensity according to individual need. We are currently running a competitive exercise to test the extent to which the current Home Office grant to Eaves Housing represents value for money, and to select a provider for support services to this group of victims from April 2006 until March 2008. Eaves Housing is amongst the organisations invited to submit a bid for Home Office funding for services for this group. The selection exercise commenced on 20 December and will conclude in mid-late February 2006 with the award of a two year grant funding agreement. Further information about the UK strategy on human trafficking, including plans for support for victims of trafficking are contained in the document "Tackling Human Trafficking—Consultation on Proposals for the UK Action Plan". The consultation document can be found on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/haveyoursay/curren-consultations.

People Trafficking

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the effect of the closure of the safe house for trafficked 16 and 17 year-olds which was trialled in Sussex in April 2004; and what plans he has to provide support services to child victims of trafficking.

Paul Goggins: The provision of "safe houses" for victims of trafficking is a long-standing concern of voluntary organisations and practitioners working in this field. A safe house for minors was set up by West Sussex social services in 1995 following a number of disappearances of West African girls in local authority care. Voluntary organisations welcomed the provision but unfortunately 50 percent. of the girls went missing, with fears that the safe house had been infiltrated by traffickers. West Sussex social services department took the decision to close the house and provide foster placements instead. A further safe house was set up by Integrated Care in West Sussex, but was closed shortly after it opened in early June 2005 following a lack of referrals by local authorities. It is recognised that child victims of trafficking will be in need of welfare services and protection under the provisions of Child Care Legislation.
	Local authorities have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need or at risk of harm by providing a range and level of service appropriate to each child's needs. Government funding is allocated to local authorities with Children's Services responsibilities on the basis of the needs of their populations. A supplement is paid to children's services authorities which accommodate unaccompanied asylum seeking children, some of whom may have been victims of trafficking. Home Office officials are giving further consideration to ways in which the options available to safeguard and support child victims of trafficking might be extended. This includes re-examining the potential value of providing dedicated and secure accommodation and specialist professional foster care placements.

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  which (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) executive agencies within the remit of his Department have regional offices based on the Government Offices for the Regions' regional structure; and when the regional offices were established in each case;
	(2)  what regional (a) bodies, (b) institutions, (c) taskforces, (d) panels, (e) offices and (f) organisations have been established since May 1997 which are the responsibility of his Department.

Charles Clarke: The majority of my Department's services are arranged nationally. However, in bringing increased local focus to delivering public priorities, since 1997, my Department has established the following regional bodies: 354 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in England and 22 Community Safety Partnerships in Wales. 49 Drug Action Teams in England were first established in 1995, but realigned with local authority boundaries in April 2002 The bodies in the following table have been closed or reclassified since 1997:
	
		
			  Name Date closed 
		
		
			 1. Holocaust Memorial Day Project Delivery Co-ordination Group. Replaced by the "Holocaust Memorial Day Trust" which is an independent charity under the Charity Commission. 2005 
			 2. Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet (reclassified an informal expert stakeholder group) Reclassified 2005 
			 3. Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team Reclassified 2005 
			 4. Community Builders Group Renamed 2004 
			 5. Criminal Records Bureau—Consultative Panel (formerly Customer Forum) 2004 
			 6. Firearms Consultative Committee 2004 
			 7. Police Complaints Authority 2004 
			 8. Advisory Board of Restricted Patients 2003 
			 9. Community Capacity Building Group 2003 
			 10. Fundamental Review of the Coroners System 2003 
			 11. Group on Developing Capacity in the Voluntary and Community Sector 2003 
			 12. Ministerial Advisory Group on Retail Crime 2003 
			 13. Retail Crime Reduction Action Team (RCRAT) 2003 
			 14. Working Group on Police Performance and Best Value 2003 
			 15 Criminal Records Bureau—Ministerial Advisory Board 2002 
			 16. Property Crime Reduction Action Team 2002 
			 17. Working Group on Resourcing Community Capacity 2002 
			 18. Home Secretary's Mobile Phone Theft Group 2001 
			 19. National Crime Reduction Task Force 2001 
			 20. Working Group on Misuse of Public Office 2001 
			 21. Active Community Unit Research Forum 2000 
			 22. Interception of Communications Tribunal 2000 
			 23. Intelligence Services Tribunal 2000 
			 24. Security Service Tribunal (Items no. 22–24 were replaced by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal under S65 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000) 2000 
			 25. Metropolitan Police Committee 2000 
			 26. Review of the Law Relating to Involuntary Manslaughter 2000 
			 27. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board 2000 
			 28. Review of the Law Relating to Criminal Memoirs 1998 
			 29. Misuse of Drugs Advisory Body 1998 
			 30. Misuse of Drugs Professional Panel 1998 
			 31. Misuse of Drugs Tribunal 1998

Brownfield Land

Greg Clark: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what records his Department keeps of the amount of development on different categories of brownfield land;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of trends in the loss of privately-owned green space as a result of new residential development.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) records amounts of land use change in its Land Use Change Statistics. The most recent results were published on the ODPM website in November, as 'Land Use Change in England to 2004: Additional Tables'.
	Land Use Change Statistics show the amount of land being developed according to its previous use, including previously-developed (brownfield) uses. Information on the ownership of the land is not, however, recorded so that there is no information on any loss of privately owned green space.

Benefit Fraud

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many investigations into benefit fraud have been undertaken in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many prosecutions have been brought for benefit fraud in each of the last 10 years; and how many were successful.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 11 November 2005
	The available information is in the tables.
	
		Benefit fraud investigations,, prosecution, convictions and sanctions by DWP
		
			  Referrals accepted for investigations Prosecutions Convictions Sanctions 
		
		
			 1995–96 720,617 12,181 9,993 n/a 
			 1996–97 938,770 16,887 9,801 n/a 
			 1997–98 925,501 11,523 11,386 n/a 
			 1998–99 923,853 10,129 9,967 n/a 
			 1999–2000 564,543 9,272 9,129 11,030 
			 2000–01 441,368 11,584 11,403 15,560 
			 2001–02 389,633 11,355 11,183 13,550 
			 2002–03 334,974 9,396 9,267 14,270 
			 2003–04 325,706 9,204 9,091 16,160 
			 2004–05 309,343 8,670 8,573 18,505 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. 'Referrals accepted for investigations' exclude general Matching Service cases.
	2. The fraud database shows completed cases that commenced in the relevant period. Due to the time between commencement of investigation and completion of prosecution, some cases will be included data collated for earlier periods. All totals are therefore correct at the time when quoted but subject to adjustment at a later date.
	3. The significant reduction in 1998–99 results from a changed definition of cases to be referred to investigation. Prior to this year any cases in error was referred. After that date any case in error where there was a suspicion of fraud was referred.
	4. The decline in referrals from 1999–2000 reflects our success in reducing the level of fraud significantly over that period—down by over 60 per cent. in IS/JSA.
	5. Sanctions include Administrative Penalties and Cautions. Administrative Penalties as an alternative to prosecution, were introduced by the Social Security Administration (Fraud) Act (1997) with effect from December 1998. Cautions were made available to local authorities as a sanction from the start of 2001–02.
	Source:
	Fraud Information By Sector system and data from Fraud Investigation Service (Serious and Organised Operations Branch)
	
		Benefit fraud investigations, prosecution and convictions by local authorities
		
			  Referrals accepted for investigations Prosecutions Convictions 
		
		
			 1995–96 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1996–97 n/a n/a n/a 
			 1997–98 n/a n/a 700 
			 1998–99 n/a n/a 800 
			 1999–2000 n/a n/a 900 
			 2000–01 n/a n/a 1,100 
			 2001–02 214,722 2,101 1,732 
			 2002–03 185,723 3,187 2,503 
			 2003–04 163,231 4,601 3,747 
			 2004–05 163,247 5,544 4,688 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The investigations figures only cover the local authorities that have submitted the relevant information on their stats 124 and WIB5 forms and are therefore a reflection of the information that we hold, which might not be complete.
	2. For local authorities, figures prior to 2001–02 have been rounded to the nearest 100 because they include estimated values for non-responding local authorities.
	3. Figures for local authority prosecutions which did not lead to conviction are not available prior to 2001–02.
	4. The figures only cover the local authorities that have submitted the relevant information on their stats124 and WIB5 forms and is therefore a reflection of the information that we hold, which might not be complete.
	Sources:
	1. The data for the numbers of investigations have been taken from HB MIS stats124.
	2. From 2001–02 onwards the numbers of prosecutions and convictions are taken from subsidy claim forms. Prior to this the numbers are taken from management information returns.

Departmental Staff

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria were used to determine performance-related bonus payments for senior civil servants in his Department in each of the last four years.

Anne McGuire: For each of the last four years bonus decisions have been made by relatively assessing individuals in relation to others in the same senior civil service pay band. When determining performance-related bonus payments the following criteria were used:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 2004–05 Performance against agreed priority business objectives or targets; 
			  Total delivery record over the year; 
			  Relative stretch; 
			  Response to unforeseen events which affected the performance 
			   
			 2003–04 and 2004–05 How successful staff were in meeting their objectives; 
			  How difficult/challenging the objectives were, given available resources, foreseen and unforeseen factors; 
			  How the success had been achieved taking account of the departmental aims and values. 
			   
			 2002–03 A particularly high achievement in relation to a particular task or tasks; 
			  A strong performance in response to unexpected developments or requirements which emerged during the year; 
			  Contribution to departmental objectives over and above the immediate demands of the job by changed working practices, improved productivity or delivered efficiency savings; 
			  Whether challenges were taken on which were above and beyond the agreed range of the individual's objectives which delivered benefits for the organisation

Disability Living Allowance

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people under the age of 60 years receiving (a) the middle rate of the care component, (b) the higher rate of the care component and (c) the higher rate of the mobility component of disability living allowance stopped receiving these benefits due to death in each month of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the table.
	
		Disability living allowance: number of awards in Great Britain which included a higher rate care component, or a middle rate care component, or a higher rate mobility component in which payment was terminated by the death of recipients under 60 years of age at the time of their death in each quarter in the period from 30 November 2001 to 31 May 2005
		
			Quarter ending on the last day of: Number of awards in which payment was terminated by death of recipients under 60 years of age (thousands) 
		
		
			 May 2005 5.1 
			 February 2005 5.4 
			 November 2004 5.1 
			 August 2004 5.1 
			 May 2004 5.0 
			 February 2004 4.8 
			 November 2003 4.5 
			 August 2003 3.9 
			 May 2003 4.1 
			 February 2003 4.9 
			 November 2002 4.9 
			 August 2002 4.7 
			 May 2002 4.3 
			 February 2002 4.9 
			 November 2001 4.6 
			 August 2001 4.0 
			 May 2001 4.3 
			 February 2001 4.7 
			 November 2000 4.7 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and expressed in thousands.
	2. Figures include only cases where the reason for termination of payment is recorded as "death of claimant". Not all cases where payment has terminated have a reason recorded.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study for totals and 5 per cent. samples for detail/long time series.

Lone Parents

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes to lone parent benefit entitlements have been implemented since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Currently, the only benefit for which "lone parent" is a category for entitlement is income support.
	The criteria allowing lone parents to qualify for income support have principally remained unchanged since 1988 in that the customer would, in addition to being a lone parent, also have to satisfy other conditions of entitlement common to all claimants. The criteria for claiming income support as a lone parent did see substantial change when Work Focused Interviews were introduced in August 2000.
	The Work Focused Interview for Lone Parent (LPWFI) regulations require lone parents to participate in a Work Focused Interview at the outset of their claim. From October 2005 lone parents are also required to attend a Work Focused Interview once every three months when their youngest child is aged 14 or over, to help them prepare for the transition to JSA once their child reaches 16 years and avoid drift onto incapacity Benefit.
	While the introduction of LPWFI presented a major change to the criteria for claiming the benefit, income support has continued to evolve to meet the needs of all the people it provides for. Many changes introduced on income support have not been exclusive to lone parents, though along with other client groups they have continued to benefit from the enhancements made to the benefit; such as Mortgage Interest Run-On (MIRO) or the recent introduction of Child Maintenance Premium (CMP).
	The key social security changes affecting lone parents are in the table.
	
		Key changes to lone parent benefits since 1990
		
			  Changes 
		
		
			 1993 The introduction of the Child Support Agency (CSA) sought to ensure absent parents met the financial responsibilities for their children. 
			   
			 1997 Introduction of Child Maintenance Bonus payments on movement into full-time work, of 16 or more hours a week. 
			  Launch of New Deal for Lone Parents (NDLP) in eight prototype areas. 
			  Standard amount payable for Dependant Children 
			  Significant increase to the amount of Dependants Allowance. 
			   
			 1998 Lone parent premium in Income Support and One Parent Benefit abolished for lone parents making a new claim. 
			  Childcare disregard increased to £100 where two or more children are eligible (children up to age 12). 
			  NDLP implemented nationally. 
			  Improved provision for work-related training within NDLP. 
			  Introduction of linking rule to preserve benefit entitlement for breaks of up to 12 weeks. 
			   
			 1999 Family Credit replaced with Working Families' Tax Credit to supplement the income of working parents. 
			  Introduction of National Minimum Wage. 
			  Lone Parent Benefit Run-On (LPRO) introduced—subsequently replaced by the two levels of Job Grant in October 2004, which ensure the financial assistance available to assist customers in their transition from benefits into work is more equitable for all benefit recipients. 
			   
			 2000 Work Focused Interview target group extended to those with a youngest child aged three or over (formerly aged five and three months or over). 
			  Introduction of compulsory Personal Adviser meetings in three 'pathfinder' areas. 
			  Introduction of In-Work Training Grant pilots for those already in employment. 
			   
			 2001 Target set to get 70 per cent. of lone parents into work by 2010. 
			  National introduction of compulsory Personal Adviser meetings for new and repeat claimants and existing claimants with youngest child 13–15 years. 
			  Extension of NDLP to all non-working lone parents and to those working fewer than 16 hours (regardless of whether claiming benefits). 
			  Extension of Work-Based Learning for Adults to lone parents aged 18–24. 
			  Basic skills screening introduced at initial NDLP interview. 
			  Adviser Discretion Fund replaces Jobseeker's Grant for lone parents. 
			  Introduction of Jobcentre Plus. 
			  Self employment option is available for NDLP from autumn 2001. 
			   
			 2002 Outreach to increase participation in voluntary NDP/NDLP. 
			  Personal advisor (PA) meetings extended further with roll-out to existing one parent claimants with youngest child aged 9–12 and new/repeat clients with youngest child aged three and above. 
			  Compulsory six monthly PA review meetings in pathfinder areas and for all new lone parent claimants nationally. 
			  Full national roll out of Jobcentre Plus. 
			  12-monthly review meetings for existing lone parent claimants introduced. 
			   
			 2003 New Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credits begin. 
			  Mandatory PA meetings extended to new and repeat lone parent claimants of IS with children under 3 and to existing claimants with youngest children aged 5–8 years. 
			   
			 2004 Mandatory PA meetings extended to cover more frequent interviews. 
			  Extended WFI regulations ensuring all lone parents on income support are covered. 
			  A new mentoring service across the country tailored specifically for lone parents. 
			  The development (working closely with employers) of a targeted communications strategy in six metropolitan areas, to supplement existing national and local advertising campaigns. 
			  Discovery Week pilots in six major metropolitan areas to boost soft skills and knowledge of help available. 
			  Childcare taster pilots from April 2004. 
			  The introduction of a new £20 per week Work Search Premium in 8 pilot areas and new £40 per week In-Work Credit in 12 pilot areas available to lone parents who have been on income support for 12 months or more. 
			  A new flexible fund for debt advisory services. 
			  Lone parents joining Employment Zones. 
			   
			 2005 The Pathways to Work for Lone Parents pilot was launched, bringing together extra support and childcare help with added financial incentives for lone parents to look for and move into work.

Alcohol Misuse

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on developing multi-agency action on alcohol misuse through the community safety partnerships.

Caroline Flint: The Department and Home Office Ministers have regular discussions on a range of issues including the role of community safety partnerships.
	Multi-agency action is an important building block of the alcohol harm reduction strategy. Community safety partnerships, which include the police, local authorities, and primary care trusts, are taking forward local initiatives to manage the night time economy and the impact that alcohol misuse can have in the community.
	The recently launched, "Alcohol Misuse Interventions—Guidance on developing a local programme of improvement" places a great emphasis on working in partnership. Annex G specifically mentions the role of the crime and disorder reduction partnerships and encourages health organisations to work within them to plan for and deliver improved local alcohol treatment services and other interventions.

Animal Insulins

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the pharmaceuticals company Novo Nordisk will continue to produce pork insulins for use in the UK;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with Wockhardt regarding maintaining the supply of animal insulin; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2005, Official Report, column 2108W, on diabetes, what steps she has taken to ensure that patients requiring insulin treatment have access to their usual insulin species while in hospital as an in-patient.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 9 January 2006
	Novo Nordisk has informed the Department that it will make a decision about the continued supply of its animal insulin in the United Kingdom in 2006.
	The Department is in regular contact with Wockhardt UK. The company has confirmed that it has not plans to discontinue supply of its animal insulin's in the UK.
	Animal insulin's are available in the UK to treat patients in hospitals, as well as those in the community. It is up to the clinician, in consultation with the patient, to decide which treatment is most suitable.

Diabetes

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2005, Official Report, column 2108W, on diabetes, what assessment she has made of the safety of long-term use of insulin analogues, with particular reference to carcinogenic risks.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 9 January 2006
	Human insulin analogues are licensed through the European centralised licensing procedure. The quality, safety and efficacy of these products in assessed prior to licensing by the European Scientific Advisory Committee, the Committee on Medicines for Human Use in accordance with European regulatory guidelines, including "Points to consider document on the non-clinical assessment of the carcinogenic potential of insulin analogues". The available clinical data does not provide any evidence to suggest that diabetic patients who receive either human insulin, insulin analogues or animal insulin analogues are at an increased risk of developing cancer.
	The safety of human insulin analogues in clinical practice is continually monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the European Medicines Agency.

Eye Tests

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations she has received from ophthalmologists and opticians about the retention of the nationally negotiated sight test and fee;
	(2)  what representations she has received from ophthalmologists and opticians on the continuation of the right of optometrists and registered corporate bodies to hold a local general ophthalmic services contract.

Rosie Winterton: We have received letters from optical representative bodies and from honourable members on behalf of opticians in their areas seeking reassurances in relation to the effect of the clauses in the Health Bill concerning General Ophthalmic Services (GOS).
	I met with the three main optical bodies on 27 October 2005. They raised the issue continuation of the right optometrists and registered corporate bodies to hold a local general ophthalmic services contract. I assured them that we envisage the sight testing service operating like the GOS system now. Contractors, who meet agreed national criteria, subject to local decision on matters such as quality of service, will be able to have a GOS contract. Patients will be able to choose a GOS contractor who provides their sight test. We also envisage continuing to have a centrally negotiated sight test fee with access to sight tests not being constrained locally by individual primary care trust budgets.

GPs

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether general practitioners who overspend their annual budget are penalised by her Department; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many general practitioners had (a) an underspend and (b) an overspend in their budget in each primary care trust area in each of the last two years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: General practitioner (GP) practices have been able to participate in practice based commissioning (PBC) since April 2005. Prior to this, practices have not been delegated indicative PBC budgets. Therefore, it is not possible to provide the data requested. The publication "Practice Based Commissioning:" Engaging practices in commissioning' is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/09/03/59/04090359.pdf. Paragraphs 19 to 22 and 33 of this publication address and provide guidance on the issue of GP practices overspending against their indicative practice based commissioning budgets.

GPs

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the siting of local general practitioner practices.

Jane Kennedy: In line with the policy of "Shifting the Balance of Power", it is now for primary care trusts to plan, develop and improve general practitioner services. This includes making decisions about the location and relocation of general practitioner practices.

Hepatitis C

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the hepatitis C FaCe it campaign.

Caroline Flint: Qualitative research of hepatitis C awareness among general practitioners and practice nurses has been carried out this year. This research, which repeats a baseline study carried out in 2001, indicates that awareness of hepatitis C is much improved compared to 2001 and that hepatitis C testing is being offered to those known to be at risk.
	The Health Protection Agency has been monitoring the number of reported laboratory diagnoses of hepatitis C, which is a national outcome indicator for implementation of the "Hepatitis C Action Plan for England". There has been a noticeable upward trend in hepatitis C diagnoses since 2000 from just under 5,000 reports to around 8,000 in 2004.
	Injecting drug users are the group currently at greatest risk of hepatitis C infection in this country. The unlinked anonymous prevalence monitoring programme's survey of injecting drug users in contact with specialist services showed that 67 per cent. had had a voluntary confidential test for hepatitis C in 2004 compared to 49 per cent. in 2000.
	There has also been qualitative research this year into format and design of the hepatitis C "Face Your Past" leaflet, which is being widely distributed as the hepatitis C awareness photography exhibition tours regional cities. This research suggested that the design, content and tone were effective at gaining attention and giving a clear message without causing panic.
	Research into public awareness of hepatitis C will be carried out in 2006. This will repeat a survey of awareness among the general public and groups at increased risk of infection in 2003.
	Note:
	For example, needle exchanges or treatment programmes, such as methadone maintenance.

Hospital Re-admissions

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were re-admitted to hospital in 2005 after being discharged.

Liam Byrne: Information on the total number of people re-admitted is not currently available. Information on England's readmissions, calculated using the star ratings re-admission rate definition, "emergency re-admissions to hospitals within 28 days of discharge to hospitals", is available at www.nchod.nhs.uk. The latest year available there is 2003–04. A full definition of the indicator is given in the guidance notes.

Mental Health

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the NHS has taken to improve (a) mental health and (b) well-being in the community.

Rosie Winterton: Mental health services are continuing to implement the national service framework for mental health in order to improve access to effective treatment and care, reduce unfair variation, raise standards, and provide quicker and more convenient services. In line with the targets set in the "NHS Plan" 343 crisis resolution, 262 assertive outreach and 109 early intervention teams were established in England at the end of March 2005. On the same day, 1,520 community gateway, 654 carer support and 648 graduate workers were in post.
	Progress is also being made towards meeting the Department's public service agreement target to reduce the death rate from suicide and undetermined injury by at least 20 per cent. by 2010. The rate is now 6.6 per cent. below the baseline.
	The "Choosing Health" White Paper recognised the importance of supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and adults. To that aim, the White Paper included a set of actions to strengthen individuals and communities and reduce structural barriers. These actions to strengthen individuals and communities and reduce structural barriers. These actions include developing day services further to provide support for employment, occupation and mainstream social contact beyond the mental health system; encouraging employers to adopt policies to promote better mental health at work; expanding help for people with mental health problems by improving access, care planning and referral arrangements; offering new models of physical healthcare for people with mental health problems and developing new approaches to helping them manage their own care; and making available information on all aspects of health and wellbeing.

NHS Management

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) chief executives, (b) finance directors and (c) other board members have left the boards of (i) strategic health authorities, (ii) NHS trusts and (iii) primary care trusts in each financial year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: Information about how many chief executives, and finance directors have left the boards of national health service bodies is not available centrally. The NHS Appointments Commission has informed about the appointment of non-executive board members since 2001, when it was established. I have asked the NHS Appointments Commission to write to you directly regarding your inquiry.

NHS Reconfiguration

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what action a primary care trust (PCT) can take if its strategic health authority presents an NHS consultation document on PCT reconfiguration which it considers to be biased;
	(2)  what role (a) she and (b) her Department's independent external panel has in ensuring that (i) strategic health authorities (SHAs) present options for primary care trust (PCT) reconfiguration fairly in their formal NHS consultation document and (ii) SHAs effectively engage the relevant PCT in preparing their formal NHS consultation document on PCT reconfiguration where there are sharply differing views on particular options;
	(3)  what steps she is taking to ensure that the advice given in John Bacon's letter dated 30 November on strategic health authorities engaging primary care trusts in preparing their formal NHS consultation document is followed;
	(4)  what steps she is taking to ensure that the advice given in John Bacon's letter dated 30 November to strategic health authorities (SHAs) regarding SHA and primary care trust reconfiguration is being followed.

Liam Byrne: Guidance issued from the Department to strategic health authorities (SHAs) on the forthcoming consultations clearly states that;
	"All options must be presented fairly and given equal weight in your documentation. Appropriate primary care trusts (PCTs) should be involved in drafting sections where an option is not the preferred option of the SHA".
	A further communication was sent on 8 December to all SHA chief executives, which stated
	"Responsibility for approving PCT consultations, ensuring they reflect the conditionality set out in my 30 November letter and that equal weight is given to all options, rests with the SHA".
	The letter went on to stress how important it is that particular attention is paid to this, and asked SHA chief executives to personally oversee this.
	We have written to SHAs in a further communication that when preparing a report on the results of the consultation, all views generated as a result of the consultation must be taken into account.
	Consultees can express their views throughout the consultation, and the Secretary of State will take into consideration any objections raised when deciding whether to make the reconfiguration order or not.

NHS Targets

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the targets her Department has set which apply to the NHS; and when these targets are expected to be met in each case.

Jane Kennedy: Details of the national targets for the national health service and social services are set out in "National Standards, Local Action", which is available in the Library and on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/08/60/58/04086058.pdf

Patient Costs

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the cost per patient treated at (a) foundation hospitals and (b) non-foundation hospitals in the last year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: There is no data collected centrally at individual patient level. However, data is collected on a finished consultant (FCE) basis. An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. The latest cost data available is 2003–04 when the average cost per FCE for all national health service trusts was £1,206.
	It is not possible to assess the average cost per FCE for foundation trusts, as they did not become operational until 2004–05 and cost data for that year is not yet available.

Smoking

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received on tackling smoking in pregnancy.

Caroline Flint: We regularly receive representations on tackling smoking in pregnancy. We have recently received five parliamentary questions on smoking in pregnancy, four from the hon. Member and one from a Peer.
	We have made good progress on this issue since the publication of the White Paper "Smoking Kills' in 1998, where we set a target to reduce the percentage of women who smoke during pregnancy from 23 percent., to 15 percent., by the year 2010; with a fall to 18 percent., by the year 2005.
	Information on smoking in pregnancy is obtained from the report on infant feeding which is carried out every five years; the most recent survey was in 2000, this shows the proportion of women, in England, who smoke during pregnancy has fallen to 19 percent.